One of the more impressive spontaneous band creations springing from the COVID-19 lockdowns is 84 Days. With the world on pause and usual routines on hold, Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury was feeling the malaise of not touring and writing music.
“I was not feeling satisfied. Kind of bummed out,” Bradbury says. “Then it dawned on me. I need to get in the studio. I need to start writing music again. That is everything … where I feel totally complete.”
Though he had written many songs with Pennywise, he decided to take a different approach to writing the songs for 84 Days. Taking inspiration from a Bob Dylan interview, he decided to give himself the freedom just to let the songs come to him. No self-editing, no predetermined subject matter or structure, just letting the songs flow through him.
“I saw an interview with Bob Dylan,” Bradbury elaborates. “It was an old interview on 60 Minutes. The guy asked him, ‘How did you write all the songs that you did back in the day?’ and he (Dylan) ‘I don’t know. I don’t know how I did it.’”
This type of solo songwriting wasn’t something Bradbury was used to. Always having his songs be part of a band’s repertoire, he wasn’t quite sure what he had, so he decided to find an honest opinion about the songs. This is where Cameron Webb comes in.
Webb is a Grammy Award-winning producer, has worked on several of Pennywise’s albums, and has collaborated with other bands Bradbury loves and respects. Bradbury figured that if anyone was going to give him an honest opinion, it would be Webb. So, after composing several demos for what would become 84 Days in late 2020 and early 2021, he sent them to Webb and waited for feedback. After a couple of weeks, Webb provided his thoughts about the project, helping solidify the direction of the album.
“When he sent me all the songs, there were a couple that sounded like Pennywise b-sides,” Webb chuckles, recalling his thoughts on the initial demos. “There were these other songs that were like rock songs that were reminiscent of the late ’90s. Kind of like the club scene of Orange County and Long Beach from the 90s and early 2000s.” He continues, “You want to do your own solo stuff. Do what inspires Randy and not try to write songs for Pennywise. Write them for Randy. That’s what he did. The eleven songs we chose are a little slower and a little more rock.”
With Webb in the producer’s seat and Bradbury handling vocals, guitar, and bass, he tapped drummer Adrian Young of No Doubt fame (no big deal). Each song on 84 Days’ self-titled debut, out Friday on Double Helix Records, reflects what has inspired and driven Bradbury throughout the years. From the lead single, “Mockingbird Brain,” which speaks out on how our media lies and rots our minds; to the song “Staying Alive,” with its powerfully positive message of hanging on to hope through adversity. As Bradbury explains, “You gotta think for yourself. Gotta think things through. You have to learn to decide what you want to be and who you really are inside. Don’t let yourself be overly influenced by outside influences. Because your energy you put into something. I’m not talking metaphysical, I’m saying when you put your energy into something, that’s valuable for other people.”
84 Days is out Friday from Double Helix Records and you can preorder it here. Follow 84 Days on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo Credit: Johnny B
